Pillars of the Earth recap: dirty, sexy clergy, episode 8
First off, a correction. We were under the impression that this week was the Pillars finale, because it was episode 8 and the show is described as an “eight-part miniseries.” Except that the CBC must have turned it into nine parts to fit in commercials. At any rate, there are still many loose ends to be tied up, both in Shiring and beyond (we know we haven’t seen the last of snarly Alfred or the diabolical Bishop Waleran). Here, our roundup of the unresolved issues at hand.
1. Will Jack and Aliena return to the honeymoon period? Near the end of this week’s episode, we saw the happy couple bicker for the first time. He’s obsessed with work; she’s obsessed with winning back her family title. Both of them seem to be harbouring a lot of resentment. Of course, if this were modern times, we’d suggest therapy. Perhaps Prior Philip could serve as a medieval couples counsellor?
2. Will Bishop Waleran’s secret be revealed? Obviously, the answer is yes, given that the entire series hangs on it, but does anyone have the foggiest idea what that secret could be? With all the back-stabbing and allegiance swapping, it’s hard to keep track of who’s with whom. What we do know is that Jack’s father survived the shipwreck and most likely had an order from the king that didn’t suit Waleran’s wicked agenda.
3. Will the cathedral collapse…again? This week ended with Jack discovering a crack in the ceiling. We hate to call déjà vu here, but maybe this is one house of the holy that just wasn’t meant to be.
4. Will Richard win William’s title? Lord knows he’s the better man for the job, and he’s certainly the rightful ruler, but it’s hard to discount William’s wily ways after we saw him suffocate his own mom. On the plus side, if Richard is given the title, he’ll be forced to do something about the new Legolas hairdo.
5. Will Jonathan ever learn that his real father was Tom Builder? We hope not. The Mrs. Doubtfire monk has been a great makeshift father to the little guy, and who wants to find out that they’re related to Alfred, anyway?
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Courtney Shea is a freelance journalist in Toronto. She started her career as an intern at Toronto Life and continues to contribute frequently to the publication, including her 2022 National Magazine Award–winning feature, “The Death Cheaters,” her regular Q&As and her recent investigation into whether Taylor Swift hung out at a Toronto dive bar (she did not). Courtney was a producer and writer on the 2022 documentary The Talented Mr. Rosenberg, based on her 2014 Toronto Life magazine feature “The Yorkville Swindler.”
